5204 Assist the Veterinarian with Consultations and Surgery Involving Farm Animals

5204 version 5

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Assist the veterinarian with consultations and surgery involving farm animals

PurposePeople credited with this unit standard are able to: assist the veterinarian with consultations involving farm animals; assist the veterinarian with common surgical procedures; describe gestation, pre and post-parturient obstetrical conditions, and carry out neonatal nursing; maintain the vehicle contents for farm animal ambulatory practice; and respond to requests for advice.

This AMAP can be accessed at

Special notes

1For credit, evidence must be in accordance with the statutory and industry requirements contained in the following documents.

Relevant and current National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) Codes of Welfare and Codes of Recommendations and Minimum Standards, available at under animal welfare.

Relevant New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) standards, available from NZVA, PO Box 11-212, Manners Street, Wellington ( including the current versions of Standard Procedures for Veterinary Nursing and Animal Care (referred to in this unit standard as standard procedures); BESTPRACTICE™ Standards for Companion Animal and Large Animal Combined Module for Mixed Practices; and BESTPRACTICE™ Standards for Large Animal Practice Module.

Animal Remedies (Develvetting) Regulations 1994,

Animal Welfare Act 1999, Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992, and any subsequent amendments.

2Definitions

In-house procedures refer to the documented policies and procedures for animal care, handling, and ethical behaviour codes required by the employer, consistent with NZVA BESTPRACTICE™ standards.

Farm animals, in this unit standard, refers to cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and deer.

Elements and performance criteria

Element 1

Assist the veterinarian with consultations involving farm animals.

Rangeevidence for at least three species is required;

evidence for all items in performance criteria ranges must be provided, but not necessarily for each species.

Performance criteria

1.1Animals are caught and restrained with minimum stress to the animal, and without injury to people or animal, to enable the veterinarian to administer medication.

Rangehead bale, use of race, leg ropes, crush, nose grip, halter, restraint without equipment.

1.2Medication is administered, with minimum stress to the animal and minimum damage to hide/carcass, as directed by the veterinarian.

Rangesubcutaneous injection, intramuscular injection, intravenous, intramammary, pessaries, oral paste or liquid, topical application to eye, topical application to skin.

1.3Ongoing nursing procedures are carried out as directed by the veterinarian.

Rangedressing, bandaging, checking vital signs (respiration, pulse, temperature, colour and hydration of mucous membranes, capillary refill time), medication, monitoring food/water intake, monitoring oestrous activity.

Element 2

Assist the veterinarian with common surgical procedures.

Rangeevidence for at least three species is required;

evidence for all items in performance criteria ranges must be provided, but not necessarily for each species.

Performance criteria

2.1Surgical procedures performed on farm animals are described in terms of health of animal and safety of personnel.

Rangecastration, dehorning, tailing, docking, disbudding, caesarean, velvetting.

2.2Assistance with local anaesthetic techniques associated with surgical procedures is provided, as directed by the veterinarian.

Rangesurgical procedures may include but are not limited to – castration, dehorning, tailing, docking, disbudding, caesarean.

2.3Assistance is provided, maintaining sterility and a clear surgical field during surgical procedure, as directed by the veterinarian.

Rangeincludes but is not limited to – restraining animal, positioning animal, passing instruments, holding instruments, counting instruments, retraction.

2.4Assistance is provided in post-operative management of the animal as directed by the veterinarian.

2.5Common post-operative complications are described in terms of their signs.

Rangeincludes but is not limited to – wound breakdown, primary and secondary infection, metabolic problems, myopathy, paralysis, fly strike.

Element 3

Describe gestation and pre and post-parturient obstetrical conditions, and carry out neonatal nursing.

Rangeevidence for at least one species is required.

Performance criteria

3.1Gestation and normal parturition are described in terms of their stages.

3.2Situations and conditions requiring veterinary assistance are described in terms of gestation, during and post-parturition, and neo-natal conditions.

3.3Routine management of the neonate is carried out to allow optimum opportunity for survival.

Rangeenvironmental temperature control, nutrition, assisted feeding, supplementary feeding, hand rearing, mothering on.

Element 4

Maintain the vehicle contents for farm animal ambulatory practice.

Performance criteria

4.1Vehicle is stocked according to practice inventory list and individual veterinarian’s requirements.

4.2Stock levels are maintained according to usage and expiry dates.

Element 5

Respond to requests for advice.

Performance criteria

5.1General enquiries are assessed to determine the most suitable person to deal with them.

5.2Advice given is provided clearly and courteously, is accurate, and is within own capability and according to in-house procedures.

Rangemay include but is not limited to – vaccination schedules, parasite control, pregnancy management, post-surgical care, care of dressings, signs of imminent parturition, care of new born and mother.

5.3Need for referral to a specialist is assessed in accordance with in-house procedures.

Please note

Providers must be accredited by NZQA, or an inter-institutional body with delegated authority for quality assurance, before they can report credits from assessment against unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.

Industry Training Organisations must be accredited by NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.

Accredited providers and Industry Training Organisations assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.

Accreditation requirements and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this standard are outlined in the Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP). The AMAP also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.

Comments on this unit standard

Please contact the Primary Industry Training Organisation if you wish to suggest changes to the content of this unit standard.

 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2018